The object of the invention, as the name implies, is a xe2x80x9cprocess and device for the constant emission of volatile liquidsxe2x80x9d.
The process proposed by the invention is based on the absorption of liquids and/or volatile solvents (with or without accompanying solutes) through solid absorbents made of diverse materials of a different nature and composition.
At present, volatile liquid products such as insecticides, aromatic substances, disinfectants, phytosanitary products, semochemicals, etc., are dispersed with the use of dispersing products or generally manual, mechanical, thermoelectrical or otherwise activated devices requiring continuous attention which in many cases renders their use impracticable. On the other hand, these dispersing devices fail to provide a constant emission of the volatile product in question.
In specific cases where the product must be dispersed over extended areas of farm or woodland, applying these products requires a large number of special machines and propellents which are almost impossible to install, particularly in places that are not readily accessible.
Known dispersers of a scientific nature based on fluid mechanics or physics fail to provide satisfactory results in equatorial or tropical environments with extremely high diurnal temperatures, high levels of relative humidity, abrupt temperature falls during the dusk and night hours and ambient humidities in the order of 100%.
On the other hand, the use of additional driving elements of a mechanical or thermoelectrical nature which could (and in some cases do) solve this problem entails high operating costs and the difficulty of reaching almost inaccessible locations lacking electricity or fuel for driving the system.
The invention presents a simple and efficient solution to these problems and proposes the process and special device described hereunder.
The use of dispersers heretofore available in the market and applied to agricultural and forestry research purposes in moderate continental climates presents several practical inconveniences which may be overcome by manual modifications varying from one case to the other. However, the use of known dispersers in wet equatorial forest environments fails to respond to the minimum expected operational requirements.
Bearing in mind that the research undertaken employed dispersers that were calibrated to some extent, solving the problems encountered in the putting into operation as a result of basic instrument failures was the first step toward executing the work.
As a first step, a thorough examination was carried out to establish the causes that led to known disperser failures essentially deriving from the critical ambient temperature and humidity conditions that prevailed, particularly in the Amazon forest. During diurnal hours, with a constant temperature of 30xc2x0 C. and a relative humidity never under 85%, dispersion of the volatile liquids took place at an extremely high (evaporated volume/time unit) rate. On the contrary, as from dusk, when the relative humidity reached 100% (condensation), the temperature dropped to under 18xc2x0 C. and the condensation water created a tight chamber around the disperser which fully inhibited the evaporation of the volatile liquid to be dispersed.
Since the causes of known disperser failures could not be solved by modifying the dispersers, other devices had to be created.
A disperser was thus created which is capable of efficiently responding to the required demands.
The results obtained, which solve the problem involving a break in the dispersion caused by a relative humidity of almost 100%, in addition to continuous and regular daily dispersion rates which varied from 0.5 to more than 2 cc, led to the creation of the system proposed in this document.
It should be understood that the invention has multiple sanitary, cosmetic, agricultural, forestry, etc., applications.
In the process described, absorption of the liquids and/or volatile solvents (with or without accompanying solutes) is conducted through solid absorbents from which they emanate in the form of gas by a physical principle involving vapor pressure differences and air drawing, without the weight of the liquid or solvent intervening and resorting neither to motor and thermoelectrical means nor to compressed fluid dispersers.
Through the process advocated by the invention, constant dispersion of the substances is achieved in a free or controlled manner, depending on the selected option.
The following elements are foreseen for putting the described process to practical use:
a) A tank containing the liquid product or composition to be dispersed.
b) An absorbent-diffuser mass, duly conditioned and protected, contained in the above tank and totally or partially immersed in the liquid product to be dispersed.
c) A tubular body, with multiple strategically distributed holes, for holding the absorbent mass.
d) A perpendicular tube or sleeve either incorporated or integral to the tank""s closing lid, said sleeve having the absorbent mass-containing tubular body tightly adapted thereto in such a way that the mass is immersed in the liquid in the tank.
e) A tank closing lid providing a virtually impervious closure, said lid sustaining the perforated tubular element in an upright position, from the upper end of which flows, in its gaseous state, the liquid product contained in the tank.
f) The perforated tubular body holding the absorbent mass is free of absorbent material in its upper portion, which forms a chamber with unobstructed holes allowing the external gas-carrying air to flow therethrough, into the chamber and on to the outlet passage.
g) A disk-shaped, centrally perforated lid which tightly adapts to the upper end of the perforated tubular body and closes the chamber formed in said body.
h) A roof-shaped lid which closes the free upper end of the device and furthermore covers and protects the outlet passage of the product in its gaseous state, avoiding obstructions.
The following description provides a better understanding of the object of the invention if contemplated jointly with the attached drawings that show, somewhat schematically and purely in the form of a non-limiting example, the preferred assemblies and details of the devices for a practical embodiment of said object of the invention.